Office of the Inspector General, SSA - Audit Reportshttp://oig.ssa.gov/blog-tags/audit-reports
enInspector General O’Carroll Marks 10 Years Overseeing Social Security http://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/dec2-ocarroll
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-posted-by field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Posted by:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Communications Division</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/Pat_O%27Carroll_2.jpg" width="1951" height="2931" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>It was 10 years ago last week that the United States Senate confirmed Patrick P. O’Carroll, Jr. as Social Security’s 3<font size="1">rd</font> Inspector General, after he was appointed by then-President George W. Bush.</p>
<p>“I’m honored to have served as Inspector General for 10 years, and I have many, many people to thank for helping make the OIG the outstanding organization it has become,” O’Carroll said. “An organization is only as strong as its people, and I’m grateful to have collaborated with so many who have shared my commitment to the OIG mission.”</p>
<p>Since assuming his role, the Inspector General has intensified efforts to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse in SSA’s programs through innovative and collaborative approaches, with a consistent focus on independent, objective oversight that has as its ultimate goal the integrity of Social Security’s programs, and the effectiveness of its operations.</p>
<p>Since his appointment, the Inspector General has led efforts to expand the highly-successful <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/cooperative-disability-investigations-cdi">Cooperative Disability Investigations</a> (CDI) program from 17 to 27 units across the country, significantly increasing our ability to screen questionable disability claims for fraud. CDI efforts in fiscal year 2014 led to about 4,100 cases in which a potentially fraudulent disability claim was denied or benefits were stopped. The Inspector General has also promoted the use of computer forensic analysis in support of our criminal investigators, providing valuable evidence to aid in bringing offenders to justice in the digital age. Mr. O’Carroll is now committed to expanding our use of cost-effective, innovative investigative tools such as predictive analytics and electronic intelligence to identify fraud trends and schemes before a significant fraud loss even occurs. </p>
<p>On the audit side, the Inspector General has cultivated experienced and effective audit teams, who are well-versed in Social Security’s complex programs, systems, and regulations. In FY 2014, the OIG’s auditors issued 84 reports with recommendations identifying more than $5 billion in Federal funds that could be put to better use, and over $1 billion in questioned costs. Our auditors have a long track record of providing accurate and timely information to the U.S. Congress for its use in overseeing Social Security. And, as we shared with you <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/oct21-cigieawards">last month</a>, the inspector general community recently recognized our auditors for their work related to SSA’s death data, which led to new Federal legislation on this issue.</p>
<p>Mr. O’Carroll has worked to improve our Counsel office’s ability to enforce <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/section-1129">Section 1129</a> of the <em>Social Security Act</em>, imposing civil penalties against people who lied to Social Security and received money they weren’t due. In FY 2004, we imposed $523,234 in penalties; in FY 2014, we imposed $21,200,916. Also during the Inspector General’s tenure, our attorneys began working with major Internet and credit card companies to shut down misleading websites, mobile apps, and other communications that pretend to be affiliated with Social Security to trick people into buying services or providing their personal information. </p>
<p>Finally, the Inspector General has embraced and supported the OIG’s commitment to transparency and accountability, through communications enhancements such as this website and the launch of the OIG’s social media accounts. In recent years, we’ve been able to easily connect with our stakeholders, share our accomplishments, and even respond appropriately to a <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/2012/08/social-securitys-oig-responds-concerns-over-ammunition-procurement">media-driven controversy</a>.</p>
<p>Over the last 10 years, we have achieved our mission and met our goals, but the one accomplishment that truly stands out is that we have served the most vulnerable of America’s citizens, and we have served the dedicated Social Security employees who work across the country to provide benefits and services to those who deserve them. Under the Inspector General’s leadership, we will continue working to improve and protect Social Security’s programs for all Americans.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/audit-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Audit Reports</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog-tags/investigations" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Investigations</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/transparency-and-accountability" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Transparency and Accountability</a></div></div></div>Tue, 02 Dec 2014 13:21:22 +0000andrewcannarsa11436 at http://oig.ssa.govhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/dec2-ocarroll#commentsOIG Auditors Recognized for Effective Reviews of SSA’s Death Data http://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/oct21-cigieawards
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-posted-by field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Posted by:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Office of External Relations</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/Picture1_1.jpg" width="607" height="408" alt="Applause" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>When our audit work reveals critical issues, spurs corrective actions, <u>and</u> is commended by our peers, we know we’re doing our job. </p>
<p>Today, at its annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., the <a href="http://www.ignet.gov/index.html">Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency</a> (CIGIE) recognized individuals and groups in the inspector general community for their outstanding accomplishments.</p>
<p>We’re proud to say that a team of our experienced auditors received one of CIGIE’s highest awards—the Glenn/Roth Award for Exemplary Service—for its ongoing, extensive, and effective reviews related to SSA’s Death Master File (DMF), the list of people in Social Security’s records who have been reported as deceased.</p>
<p>In the past five years, this 13-member team, led by the <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/about-oig/meet-oig-senior-staff/steven-l-schaeffer">Assistant Inspector General for Audit</a> and the <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/about-oig/meet-oig-senior-staff/rona-m-lawson">Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audit</a>, completed nine significant audits that identified deficiencies with SSA’s processing of death information.</p>
<p>Those audits identified several critical issues, including:</p>
<ul><li>
the issuance of about $100 million in improper payments to thousands of deceased individuals;</li>
<li>
the incorrect publication of tens of thousands of living individuals’ personal information on the DMF; and</li>
<li>
the omission of about 1.4 million deceased individuals’ death information from the DMF. </li>
</ul><p>The audit results, alone, are noteworthy, but the team took the next step and, several times, presented its reports and recommendations to Members of Congress. Our auditors explained the significance of their findings and suggested congressional actions that could mitigate the issues identified.</p>
<p>Their efforts were worthwhile.</p>
<p>In January 2013, after several congressional hearings on the accuracy of the government’s death data, Congress passed the <em>Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act</em>. The law requires Federal agencies to match government benefit recipients against the DMF, to ensure payment accuracy.</p>
<p>Further, when Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Agreement in December 2013, the legislation placed restrictions on public access to death information via the DMF—primarily by requiring those who purchase the information to be certified as having a legitimate need for the information. (Anybody not certified can only access DMF records that are more than three years old.) These changes will help reduce abuse of deceased individuals’ personal information, and prevent identity theft for individuals who are mistakenly listed on the DMF while they are still alive.</p>
<p>The President also recently proposed funding to improve the accuracy of the DMF and to increase Federal agency use of the DMF to curb improper payments.</p>
<p>Some of the team’s recent DMF-related reports include:</p>
<ul><li>
<em><a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/a-06-12-11291">Payments to Individuals Whose Numident Record Contained a Death Entry</a></em></li>
<li>
<em><a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/a-09-12-22132">Title XVI Deceased Recipients Who Do Not Have Death Information on the Numident</a> </em></li>
<li>
<em><a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/A-09-12-11220">Deceased Beneficiaries With Different Dates of Death on Numident and Payment Records </a></em></li>
</ul><p>Congratulations are in order for these auditors, but they’re not alone, as numerous other OIG employees contributed to projects that garnered five additional CIGIE Team Awards for Excellence: </p>
<ul><li>
The<strong> Direct Deposit Fraud Team</strong> identified weaknesses in SSA’s controls over direct deposit changes and user authentication.</li>
<li>
The <strong>Representative Payee Team</strong> identified data anomalies that indicated significant risks of improper payments to individuals or organizations acting as representative payees.</li>
<li>
The<strong> Civil Monetary Penalty Litigation Leadership Team</strong> supervised the successful resolution of 280 cases in fiscal year 2013, imposing more than $15 million in civil monetary penalties.</li>
<li>
The<strong> Puerto Rico Investigations Team</strong> uncovered a large-scale disability fraud conspiracy including third-party facilitators.</li>
<li>
The<strong> Social Security Number Verification Team </strong>identified significant weaknesses with SSA’s oversight of its verification programs, which may have led to the improper disclosure of personal information.</li>
</ul><p>Thanks to CIGIE for recognizing the excellent work that Federal inspector general employees are doing across the country to improve Federal Government integrity and performance for all Americans.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/audit-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Audit Reports</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog-tags/improper-payments" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Improper Payments</a></div></div></div>Tue, 21 Oct 2014 19:55:56 +0000andrewcannarsa11266 at http://oig.ssa.govhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/oct21-cigieawards#commentsIs Social Security Disability the "New Welfare"? http://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/july17-post
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-posted-by field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Posted by:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Office of External Relations</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/Job-fair--job-fair-line-jpg.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="Line at Job Fair" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Probably not, according to a recent OIG <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/A-07-12-11209">evaluation report</a>.</p>
<p>The recession has affected Americans across the country. Many employers downsized with layoffs while others shuttered all operations, leaving workers unemployed. In a little over two years, the U.S. unemployment rate rose from 4.4 percent to a high of 10 percent in October 2009, before retreating to a current rate of 7.6 percent.</p>
<p>As unemployment rates have risen, so have the number of disability applications that SSA has received for <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/disability/">Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)</a>. From 2007 to 2011, the number of DI applications for workers increased by 34 percent, and SSI disability applications increased by 18 percent.</p>
<p>These increases have not gone unnoticed. In a 2011 letter to Inspector General O’Carroll, Senators Tom Coburn and Orrin Hatch wrote, “Given the looming collapse of [Social Security] DI, it is imperative that disability claims are properly examined to ensure that only those who are lawfully entitled to benefits receive them.” The Senators also wrote, “Individuals cannot be allowed to exploit [Social Security] DI, transforming it into a supplemental source of unemployment income with enormous and crippling costs to taxpayers.”</p>
<p>Responding to concerns from Members of Congress as well as from the general public and media outlets, our auditors took a closer look at the relationship between unemployment rates and SSA’s disability programs.</p>
<p>Our report focused on the 10 states with the highest percentage increases in unemployment from 2007 to 2011: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina, and Utah. We reviewed disability claims from individuals in these states who indicated on their applications that they had previously worked (indicating they may have lost a job in the recession), rather than those who indicated they had never worked or had not stopped working.</p>
<p>We did find that, in those states, the number of disability applications for claimants with a work history increased by an average of 32 percent during this time period—compared to a nationwide increase of 27 percent.</p>
<p>However, we also found that the rate at which SSA <em>allowed </em>those claims had actually <em>declined</em> by 1 percent nationwide. Of the 10 states, eight had declines in allowance rates, and allowance rates in the two states with nominal increases (Alabama and Colorado, seen in the chart below) were still consistent with the national average.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/Blog%20Chart.jpg" style="border-bottom: 2px solid; border-left: 2px solid; width: 450px; height: 304px; border-top: 2px solid; border-right: 2px solid" /></p>
<p>Moreover, we found that in all 10 states, claimants in 2011 were waiting longer after stopping work to apply for disability than they were waiting in 2007. Nationwide, the number of applications filed within one year after the claimant stopped working decreased by about 11 percent.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://crr.bc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/IB_11-14-508.pdf">recent study</a> suggests that this delay may have been a result of extensions in unemployment insurance benefits, while <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/ui_report_final.pdf">a second study from the White House</a> found that unemployed persons aged 50 to 65 without access to $5,000 are more likely to apply for DI as their unemployment insurance benefits are about to expire.</p>
<p>Still, the challenge in specifying the relationship between unemployment and disability applications is that many other factors are also at play:</p>
<ul><li>
The size of the labor force has grown, and its demographics have changed—in particular, the baby-boomer generation began reaching its disability-prone years in 1996. </li>
<li>
Each state has unique demographics, health trends, and job-market factors that affect disability application rates.</li>
<li>
Changes in Federal disability policy have affected SSA’s programs. </li>
</ul><p>Given those variables, it isn’t surprising that ultimately, we could not determine the exact nature of the impact of rising unemployment on SSA’s disability programs. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, it’s clear that more people are applying for disability benefits, which has financial implications for SSA and all Americans. As SSA’s disability programs face new challenges, you can expect them to remain a high priority at SSA and here in the OIG.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/A-07-12-11209">Click here</a> to view the full evaluation report. <a href="http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/goss_testimony.pdf">Click here</a> to read more about the financial challenges of SSA’s disability programs.</em></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/audit-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Audit Reports</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog-tags/disability-process" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Disability Process</a></div></div></div>Tue, 02 Jul 2013 19:36:03 +0000andrewcannarsa9381 at http://oig.ssa.govhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/july17-post#commentsAudit Highlight: SSI Recipients Eligible for, or Receiving, Russian Pensionshttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/feb15-post
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-posted-by field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Posted by:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Office of External Relations</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/newspapers1%5B1%5D.jpg" width="1129" height="1450" alt="Newspapers" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Occasionally, our audit reports receive attention from the media and the U.S. Congress. In July 2012, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/social-security-administration-did-not-properly-record-12-million-deaths-auditors-find/2012/07/11/gJQAF4SydW_blog.html">The Washington Post</a> ran an article on our report <em>Title II Deceased Beneficiaries Who Do Not Have Death Information on the Numident</em>. In January 2013, <a href="http://cnsnews.com/news/article/government-gave-4317-aliens-2-social-security-numbers-piece">cnsnews.com</a> posted an article citing our report, <em>Noncitizens Issued Multiple Social Security Numbers</em>. </p>
<p>Our reports show up on social media sites as well. In January 2013, the <a href="http://socsecnews.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-problem-with-direct-deposits-of.html">"Social Security News" blog</a> posted an entry about our report, <em>Direct Deposit Changes Initiated in Field Offices,</em> which focused on SSA’s controls to combat direct deposit-related fraud. </p>
<p>Recently, another audit came to the attention of the media: <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/A-01-12-21238."><em>Supplemental Security Income Recipients Eligible for, or Receiving, Russian Pensions</em></a>, which we issued in December 2012.</p>
<p>An SSA employee noticed that that many SSI recipients who had emigrated from Russia might be eligible for Russian pensions. If they were eligible, or if they were receiving a pension but hadn’t told SSA about it, they might not be eligible for SSI payments.</p>
<p>SSI is a program of “last resort,” which means that if people are eligible for other forms of government assistance, they have to apply for those before they can receive SSI. And if they don’t apply for those other benefits, they aren’t eligible for SSI, even if they never receive the other benefits.</p>
<p>That SSA employee contacted us, and we began an audit to identify SSI recipients who may have been paid too much because they either were eligible for, but didn’t apply for, a Russian pension, or they received a Russian pension but didn’t report it to SSA.</p>
<p>We started by mailing letters to a random sample of 200 SSI recipients in this population, asking them about their eligibility for or receipt of Russian pensions. </p>
<p>Some recipients who received our letters—or their family members or representatives—contacted us, expressing concerns that we were going to stop their SSI payments, or that we were violating their rights by contacting them. Many of the recipients were elderly and had left Russia many years before. Some of them explained that for various reasons, they did not wish to have any connection to Russia, even through a possible pension. And some of them were upset because they had not reported their pension to SSA and did not want this to affect their SSI payments. We even received inquiries from congressional staff on behalf of their constituents who had received these notices.</p>
<p>One or more of these individuals also contacted media outlets to express their concerns. In May 2012, a New York-based Russian-language newspaper, “В Новом Свете” (In The New World), ran an article, “<em>What will happen to SSI?</em>” in response to complaints about the OIG’s audit. The article explained that the OIG letter was perfectly legal, and that the recipients were required to respond to the questions.</p>
<p>Ultimately, we estimated in our report that 8,700 SSI recipients were eligible for, or were receiving, undisclosed Russian pensions. We estimated that 2,000 of the 8,700 were improperly paid about $45 million.</p>
<p>We referred our findings to SSA for any actions that the agency felt appropriate with regard to these cases. We also recommended that SSA remind staff to ask about foreign pensions when foreign-born individuals apply for SSI and when the agency conducts redeterminations of SSI eligibility.</p>
<p>You can view the full audit report at <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/A-01-12-21238">this link</a>.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/audit-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Audit Reports</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog-tags/improper-payments" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Improper Payments</a></div></div></div>Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:16:08 +0000andrewcannarsa8541 at http://oig.ssa.govhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/feb15-post#commentsAudit Highlight: Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Work Plan http://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/audit-work-plan
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-posted-by field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Posted by:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Office of External Relations</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/Work%20Plan.jpg" width="352" height="454" alt="Audit Work Plan" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>We’ve posted our <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-work-plans/FY2013">Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Work Plan</a> online, but we wanted to take a moment to explain what exactly that plan is, and how we create it. Our <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/about-oig/offices/office-audit">Office of Audit</a> employees are always looking for and thinking about ways to help the Social Security Administration improve upon its programs, operations, and customer service. Throughout the year, our employees brainstorm, research, and solicit input from others on what issues we should address during the next year.</p>
<p>Who do we ask for input? We meet with SSA managers and executives, who help us identify areas where we can best serve their needs. We coordinate relevant audit topics with other Federal agencies. We regularly discuss areas of concern or interest with <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/about-oig/offices/inspector-general/working-with-congress">Members of Congress</a> and their staffs. We collaborate and share information with our <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/about-oig/offices/office-investigations">Office of Investigations</a>, to identify fraud trends that may be the result of program or system vulnerabilities that we can address in an audit. Finally, we sometimes take ideas from SSA employees and public citizens who write to us with their concerns.</p>
<p>That’s the initial stage of the planning process that results in the Annual Work Plan, which is a summary and brief description of the audits the OIG plans to perform over the following year, and the issues those audits will address.</p>
<p>The Annual Work Plan is designed to address <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/top-ssa-management-issues">SSA’s top management challenges</a>, which we determine and report to the Congress each year. This year, we’ve identified these management challenges: </p>
<ul><li>
Reduce Improper Payments and Increase Overpayment Recoveries</li>
<li>
Improve Customer Service</li>
<li>
Strengthen the Integrity and Protection of the Social Security Number</li>
<li>
Reduce the Hearings Backlog and Prevent its Recurrence</li>
<li>
Improve the Timeliness and Quality of the Disability Process</li>
<li>
Invest in Information Technology Infrastructure to Support Current and Future Workloads</li>
<li>
Improve Transparency and Accountability</li>
<li>
Strengthen Strategic and Tactical Planning</li>
</ul><p>In all, our employees come up with about 500 ideas within these broad issue areas, that they will discuss at an annual work planning conference. There, OIG senior staff, directors, and managers develop, debate, and analyze these topics. Based on many factors, like resources, staffing, workloads, and determination of the most critical or time-sensitive issues, our audit management makes the final selection of about 100 audits that make up the Annual Work Plan. </p>
<p>Of course, sometimes we have to add reviews during the year that aren’t in the Work Plan. Emerging concerns, congressional interest, and SSA requests require that we stay flexible so we can adapt to address those needs.</p>
<p>You can read the entire Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Work Plan at <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-work-plans/FY2013">this link</a>. Please feel free to comment on the Plan or any audit topics in general.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/audit-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Audit Reports</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog-tags/strategic-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Strategic Reports</a></div></div></div>Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:22:22 +0000andrewcannarsa8376 at http://oig.ssa.govhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/audit-work-plan#commentsFrom the Inspector General's Desk: 2012 In Reviewhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/2013/01/oig-year-review
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-posted-by field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Posted by:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Inspector General Patrick P. O&#039;Carroll, Jr. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/Pat_O%27Carroll.jpg" width="1951" height="2931" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>As you know if you have browsed through our website, our 580 employees produce a staggering amount of work in one year—over 100 audits, about 7,000 investigations, and hundreds of millions of dollars saved and recovered for you, the taxpayer. </p>
<p>Every year, you can rest assured that we have analyzed SSA’s systems, benefit programs, Social Security number assignment procedures, customer service; and we have also investigated thousands of people who have lied to Social Security employees, abused the public trust as representative payees, sold Social Security cards or numbers, or stolen Social Security benefits that someone else deserved.</p>
<p>As in previous years, employee safety continued to be of paramount concern to SSA and the OIG in 2012. Social Security employees must always be aware of their surroundings and customer behavior. In Fiscal Year 2012, our office received more than 1,500 allegations nationwide related to SSA employee safety issues. Our Office of Investigations opened 79 employee safety cases and closed 77 nationwide.</p>
<p>For example, in November, a Maine man—who spent 27 years in prison for a 1982 murder—<a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/investigations/maine-man-sentenced-2-years-federal-prison-threatening-kill">was sentenced to two years and three months in jail for threatening to kill an SSA official</a>. The 55-year-old man pleaded guilty in August to making the threats, reportedly writing a rambling letter to the SSA official, threatening to kill the employee if he stopped receiving Social Security payments.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/4.JPG" style="border-right: 2px solid; border-top: 2px solid; border-left: 2px solid; width: 178px; border-bottom: 2px solid; height: 300px" /></p>
<p>And the <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/cooperative-disability-investigations-cdi">Cooperative Disability Investigations </a>program continued to be one of our most successful initiatives in 2012, contributing to the integrity of SSA’s disability programs. The program currently consists of 25 Units covering 21 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, with the most recent Unit opening in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in October 2012.</p>
<p>In Fiscal Year 2012, the CDI program reported $339.6 million in projected savings to SSA’s disability programs—the program’s greatest single-year savings total—for a return on investment of $17 to $1. Since the program was established, through September 2012, the CDI efforts have resulted in $2.2 billion in projected savings to SSA’s disability programs and $1.4 billion in projected savings to non-SSA programs.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/12-078P-1636.jpg" style="border-right: 2px solid; border-top: 2px solid; border-left: 2px solid; width: 300px; border-bottom: 2px solid; height: 214px" /></p>
<p>This important—and never-ending—work goes on every day of every year, year in and year out. But that’s not the sum total of our accomplishments in 2012. Once again, our employees have also proved that they can rise up and successfully meet unforeseen challenges that occur in the course of that work. </p>
<p>On September 11, 2001, for example, our special agents assisted in search, rescue, and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. Later, we assisted the FBI in investigating the terrorists who committed the attacks; and we participated in homeland security activities like Operation Tarmac, in which we targeted individuals who misused Social Security numbers to gain employment at airports and other sensitive facilities. In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, our special agents again went beyond the call of duty, protecting SSA employees and offices and helping make sure beneficiaries were paid; and transporting Federal officials to inspect damaged Social Security office, like the one in the photo below. </p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/Katrina.jpg" style="border-right: 2px solid; border-top: 2px solid; border-left: 2px solid; width: 394px; border-bottom: 2px solid; height: 254px" /></p>
<p>And just a few weeks ago, we blogged about our employees who were victims of Hurricane Sandy and also those who responded within their communities to help recover from the devastating storm. A couple of weeks later, I was able to visit with our employees and personally witness the destruction that had been wrought. </p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/Sandy%20Red%20Cross.jpg" style="border-right: 2px solid; border-top: 2px solid; border-left: 2px solid; width: 303px; border-bottom: 2px solid; height: 228px" /></p>
<p>As we mentioned in our <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/2012/11/oig-offers-support-areas-affected-hurricane-sandy">first blog entry about Sandy</a>, our agents assisted the American Red Cross on Staten Island—in fact, they were the first Federal agents to offer help, working through the first weekend after the storm and beyond. They gave law enforcement escorts to Red Cross vehicles driven by volunteers delivering food to stranded and flooded-out citizens; and when needed, they escorted those same vehicles to New Jersey and made sure they got their gas tanks refilled so they could keep delivering food. The photo above shows Red Cross workers with agents from our New York City office. </p>
<p>All of our everyday efforts, and the responses to unforeseen events, illustrate the extraordinary work of OIG employees, and it is an honor to work with them, year in and year out. </p>
<p>Happy New Year, and on behalf of the entire OIG, we look forward to serving you in 2013 and beyond.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/audit-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Audit Reports</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog-tags/investigations" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Investigations</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-news-office field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Office Affiliation:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-oig/offices/immediate-office-inspector-general">Immediate Office of the Inspector General</a></div></div></div>Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:53:37 +0000andrewcannarsa8311 at http://oig.ssa.govhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/2013/01/oig-year-review#commentsOIG Employees Recognized for Cost-Saving Effortshttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/cigieawards
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-posted-by field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Posted by:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Office of External Relations</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/CIGIE%20Blog%20Post.jpg" width="1500" height="1000" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo-caption field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Senior Auditor Vickie Choy, Inspector General Patrick O&#039;Carroll, Special Agent Lance Kidwell, and Senior Analyst James Kim at the CIGIE Awards Ceremony in Washington in October 2012. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Our employees take tremendous pride in the work they do, and it’s always nice to see those efforts recognized.</p>
<p>It’s especially rewarding when accolades come from our peers—in this case, the <a href="http://www.ignet.gov/index.html">Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE).</a> The CIGIE’s role is to increase the level of professionalism and effectiveness, as well as to assist in the development of personnel, within the offices of inspectors general.</p>
<p>This year marked the 15<sup>th</sup> annual <a href="http://www.ignet.gov/Press%20Release%20-%2010-15-12.pdf">CIGIE Awards Ceremony</a>, which recognized more than 85 individuals and groups for their outstanding accomplishments in the inspector general community.</p>
<p>We are proud to share that our employees received three CIGIE Awards for Excellence—two team awards and one individual award. These awards were given for identifying and achieving savings for Social Security programs—and ultimately, for taxpayers. These days, savings—on every level—are critical. In fiscal year 2011, the IG community identified potential savings of over $93 billion—nearly $85 billion from audit recommendations and over $9 billion from investigative recoveries. </p>
<p>Our first Award for Excellence recognized the audit work, <em>Using Third Party Data to Identify Unreported Resources. </em>This audit team estimated how much money SSA could save by using a software program to verify the assets and <a href="http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ssi/text-understanding-ssi.htm">resources</a> of people who apply for SSI. People are supposed to tell SSA about their assets and resources when they apply, but if they don’t, SSA may pay them more than they are supposed to receive. </p>
<p>Using this software can help SSA staff make sure they are paying people the right amount. For example, in one report that looked at <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/supplemental-security-income-recipients-unreported-real">vehicle ownership</a>, one out of four SSI recipients did not report that they or their spouses owned vehicles that might have reduced their SSI payment. We estimated that as a result, SSA made $551 million in improper payments to 75,000 recipients. </p>
<p>Our second Award for Excellence went to Special Agent Lance Kidwell, for his outstanding work on three investigations in which people defrauded Social Security and taxpayers of over $1 million, by claiming to be disabled while still working:</p>
<ul><li>
A Las Vegas man worked as a<a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/investigations/las-vegas-man-sentenced-two-years-prison-benefits-theft"> bookkeeper</a> and concealed his earnings under his spouse’s name. He now has to repay $525,000 to SSA and spend 2 years in prison. </li>
<li>
Another man collected benefits for 13 years while operating a chiropractic business and judging professional boxing matches. He received an 18-month prison sentence and has to repay over $435,000. </li>
<li>
An internet entrepreneur reported to SSA that she had sold her art business, but she actually hadn’t. She was sentenced to 3 years of probation and community service, and has to repay over $100,000. </li>
</ul><p>Our final Award for Excellence was given to a team that issued a report titled <em>Supplemental Security Income Windfall Offset Provision.</em> The <a href="http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-windfall-offset.htm">windfall offset</a> is a technical term that means when SSA makes a large retroactive retirement or disability benefit payment to someone who has also been receiving SSI, the agency has to subtract all those SSI payments from the large backpayment first. Sometimes SSA neglects to do this, which means people are accidentally paid too much money. </p>
<p>Our team not only identified these <em>overpayments</em> using data matching and analysis, but it also identified significant <em>underpayments</em>—monies that the Agency <em>should </em>have paid to some beneficiaries. In our sample, SSA hadn’t processed almost 25 percent of the payments, so the team estimated that SSA improperly withheld $232 million from beneficiaries. This team’s work demonstrated that not only is the OIG concerned with saving taxpayer money, but also with protecting the most vulnerable citizens who depend on Social Security to pay for basic needs like housing and food.</p>
<p>We are very proud of our awardees and their accomplishments, which provide a glimpse of the value we provide through our work. We invite you to learn more about our work by visiting our <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/all">audit report</a> and <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/investigations">investigations</a> archives. You can also view the <a href="http://www.ignet.gov/awards.html">CIGIE Award Ceremony booklet</a> online for more details about the ceremony and awardees.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/audit-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Audit Reports</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog-tags/investigations" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Investigations</a></div></div></div>Thu, 13 Dec 2012 20:50:23 +0000andrewcannarsa8236 at http://oig.ssa.govhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/cigieawards#commentsAudit Highlight: Disabled Individuals with Mental Impairments in Need of a Representative Payee http://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/Nov28audit
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-posted-by field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Posted by:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Office of External Relations</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/Nov%2028%20Blog%20Post.jpg" width="432" height="324" alt="Signing Check " /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Part of the challenge in writing a blog about Social Security issues is making it comprehensible to people who don’t speak “bureaucrat-ese.” That’s the terminology of complex government program rules and requirements, and the dreaded acronyms that we bureaucrats seem to delight in creating and using.</p>
<p>One of those terms is “representative payee,” which is Social Security’s technical term for a person or an organization selected to manage someone else’s Social Security benefits. In this blog post, we want to tell you about a recent audit report we issued related to SSA’s <a href="http://www.socialsecurity.gov/payee">representative payee program</a>.</p>
<p>Regardless of what term we use, one of our highest priorities is to make sure that representative payees are complying with laws and regulations, and <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/what-abuse-fraud-and-waste/misuse-benefits-representative-payee">not misusing</a> the benefits SSA trusts them to manage. We do that by reviewing SSA’s programs and policies and making recommendations for improvement (we also conduct<a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/investigations/jury-finds-pennsylvania-woman-guilty-stealing-more-100000"> investigations</a> when we find evidence that misuse is occurring, but that’s a topic for a different blog post). </p>
<p>In a recent such review, an audit report titled <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/audit/full/pdf/A-07-11-11110.pdf"><em>Disabled Individuals with Mental Impairments in Need of a Representative Payee,</em></a> we looked at beneficiaries with mental impairments, and whether SSA was effectively identifying those who needed representative payees. If these beneficiaries receive their benefits directly but aren’t capable of managing them, they may be unable to fulfill basic housing and other critical needs. Therefore, we believe this is a critical responsibility for SSA.</p>
<p>As part of the audit, we interviewed mentally impaired beneficiaries to gauge whether they were, in fact, capable of managing their own benefits. We found that about 23 percent of the people we interviewed didn’t appear to be capable of managing their own benefits, but they did not have a representative payee. (We were unable to interview another 26 percent of people in our sample, so many of them may also have been unable to manage their own benefits.)</p>
<p>One woman told us that she wrote checks for bills one month without realizing there was no money in her account—so she ended up paying $300 in overdraft fees. We also interviewed a man residing with his parents who couldn’t answer simple questions about his name, where he lived and who lived with him—without prompting from his mother. His mother informed us that he was not able to manage his daily living needs or pay his own bills—yet SSA had not appointed a representative payee for him.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, we discovered that most of those interviewed did not know that the representative payee program even existed. And we found that SSA does not have a formal process in place to identify beneficiaries who are initially capable of managing their benefits but at some point, become incapable and need a representative payee. </p>
<p>In the report, we recommended that SSA consider ways to make not only mentally impaired beneficiaries, but also their families and the public, aware of situations when they may need a representative payee. SSA agreed with that, and with our other recommendations. SSA is also going to make a capability determination for all the beneficiaries we identified who we believe may need a representative payee.</p>
<p>You can read the entire audit report at <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/audit/full/pdf/A-07-11-11110.pdf">this</a> link. Please feel free to <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/oig-blog-commenting-policy">comment</a> on this report or representative payee issues in general—just remember not to include any personally identifiable information in your comment.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/audit-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Audit Reports</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog-tags/faqs" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">FAQs</a></div></div></div>Wed, 28 Nov 2012 20:19:25 +0000andrewcannarsa8121 at http://oig.ssa.govhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/Nov28audit#commentsCongress Concerned with Death-Data Accuracyhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/2012/07/congress-concered-death-data-accuracy
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-posted-by field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Posted by:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Office of External Relations</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/Picture1.jpg" width="413" height="314" alt="Computer Data" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>
Federal offices of inspectors general—including this one—are required to inform the United States Congress of audit and investigative findings. Members of Congress use the information we provide to hold Federal agencies accountable for their use of taxpayer money; this can be one of many things Congress looks at when deciding how much and what type of funding the agencies receive every year. </p>
<p>
Last week, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma turned the spotlight on one of our audit <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/A-09-11-21171">reports</a>—and <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/10/social-security-payouts-going-to-deceased">The Washington Times</a> wrote a story on the same issue. Our <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/about-oig/offices/office-audit">Office of Audit</a> found that the Social Security Administration doesn’t always record deaths on all of its records—most notably, the records the agency uses to create the Death Master File.</p>
<p>
So, what exactly <em>is</em> the Death Master File, or DMF, and what is it used for?</p>
<p>
The DMF is a list of people from Social Security’s records who have been reported to our agency as deceased. The death reports come from government agencies, funeral homes, and relatives, among other sources. The DMF, which is public information, is used by government agencies as well as private entities, such as insurance companies and financial institutions, to verify deaths and prevent fraud.</p>
<p>
When the DMF is inaccurate, bad things can happen. Just to name a few: </p>
<ul><li>
the Department of Veterans Affairs may continue to pay benefits to deceased veterans;</li>
<li>
Medicare may reimburse deceased physicians; or</li>
<li>
the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program may not realize that a company is trying to hire a person using the Social Security number of someone who is dead.</li>
</ul><p>
Our auditors recommended that SSA develop ways to identify deceased individuals without excessive cost to taxpayers. They also recommended that SSA evaluate its current processes and look at ways to correct the 1.2 million records identified by our audit.</p>
<p>
SSA responded that it plans to implement several initiatives designed to reduce erroneous reporting and increase the accuracy of all of its records. The Agency is already working with States to increase timeliness and accuracy of death reports.</p>
<p>
In a press release, Senator Coburn expressed his concern about our findings: “The importance of the Death Master File cannot be overstated, especially in these bleak economic times with limited tax dollars to go around.” </p>
<p>
Other Members of Congress have also expressed concerns about the integrity of the Death Master File. In fact, Inspector General O’Carroll has testified <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/congressional-testimony">twice</a> this year at congressional hearings about the DMF and related issues. In an upcoming blog post, we will talk more about how we interact with Congress.</p>
<p>
Feel free to comment below about the Death Master File or our audit report. As always, don’t put any personally identifiable information in the comments. </p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/audit-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Audit Reports</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog-tags/social-security-numbers" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Social Security Numbers</a></div></div></div>Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:55:40 +0000andrewcannarsa7201 at http://oig.ssa.govhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/2012/07/congress-concered-death-data-accuracy#commentsAudit Highlight: The Role of National Hearing Centershttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/2012/07/audit-highlight-role-national-hearing-centers
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-posted-by field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Posted by:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Office of External Relations</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/Audit.jpg" width="467" height="607" alt="Audit Report" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Every week, we look at statistics showing how many people are viewing the pages within our website. Those numbers tell us what pages are most interesting to most people—audit reports, news releases, fraud reporting, etc. In other words, we try to figure out what you care most about.</p>
<p>Starting with this post, we are going to blog occasionally about an <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/about-oig/offices/office-audit">Office of Audit</a> report that gets a lot of interest when we first post it to the website. Today, we're looking at the April 3 report, "<a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/A-12-11-11147">The Role of National Hearing Centers in Reducing the Pending Hearings Backlog</a>." In April 2012, you viewed this audit more than any other.</p>
<p>What exactly is a pending hearings backlog? People often wait a long time for a hearing with an administrative law judge when they appeal a denial of their application for disability benefits, partly because so many other people are also requesting hearings.</p>
<p>This “backlog” of hearing requests is something the Congress, the media—including <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204844504577098810070396878.html">The Wall Street Journal</a>—SSA and the OIG have been concerned about over the last several years. The wait can cause problems—financial, emotional, even medical—for the people who are waiting for claims decisions.</p>
<p>In the last five years, according to Commissioner Astrue, SSA has “cut the national average time disability claimants wait for a hearing decision by one-third, from an all-time high of 532 days in August 2008 to 354 days in April 2012. In 2007, some hearing offices had average waits of about 900 days; today the wait time in every hearing office is below 475 days."</p>
<p>We have done a lot of audit work on this issue—to provide information to SSA and the Congress, so they can make operational and policy decisions; and to make recommendations for how to improve the appeals process.</p>
<p>In this particular audit, we looked at SSA’s decision to create National Hearings Centers (NHCs) that take the pressure off individual hearing offices with the most severe backlogs. At the NHCs, administrative law judges use video technology to conduct hearings for claimants located throughout the United States.</p>
<p>To perform this audit, Auditor-in-Charge Parham Price actually visited three National Hearing Centers and talked to ALJs and staff about how the process works. Parham and his audit team found that judges at the NHCs issued more decisions than did judges in hearing offices. They think this was partly because NHCs have more staff for each judge, and because NHC judges don’t have to spend time traveling to interview claimants in person.</p>
<p>However, Parham and his team also found some challenges in using the NHCs effectively. First, NHC judges could only hold as many hearings as existing video capacity allowed. And, some claimants declined to have a video hearing—sometimes waiting until the day before the hearing to say they would prefer an in-person hearing. This caused additional delays in the process.</p>
<p>Our auditors recommended that SSA consider increasing the number of video locations, so the NHCs can work to their full potential. They also recommended that SSA consider preventing claimants from declining video hearings close to the day of the hearing. Of course, claimants would still be able to request an in-person hearing earlier in the process.</p>
<p>Parham Price and his audit team hope their report—and any changes SSA makes in response—will help reduce the backlog, and help you and other claimants get disability decisions faster. </p>
<p>To read other OIG audits related to the pending hearings backlog, <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/top-ssa-management-issues/social-security-disability-hearings-backlog">click here</a>.</p>
<p>For more information on SSA's hearings and appeals process, <a href="http://ssa.gov/appeals/">click here</a>.</p>
<p>Feel free to comment below about the hearings backlog, the disability claims process, this audit report, or anything related. Please don’t put any personally identifiable information in the comments, and make sure you check our <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/oig-blog-commenting-policy">commenting policy</a> first. </p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog-tags/audit-reports" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Audit Reports</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog-tags/hearings-backlog" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hearings Backlog</a></div></div></div>Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:16:26 +0000andrewcannarsa7166 at http://oig.ssa.govhttp://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/blog/2012/07/audit-highlight-role-national-hearing-centers#comments